Tomorrow I am planning a quick trip to Louisiana to meet up with a friend. We are hoping to golf at least once, so I figured I’d get a practice round in by myself to kick off the holiday weekend. I continue to chip away at the public courses in North Texas, but still have so many to explore!
I did some reading before booking my tee time at Riverside Golf Club and all the recent reviews mentioned that the course was in super shape. Sometimes I’ve found that the internet’s opinion of golf course conditioning isn’t that accurate, but the positive reviews I read were actually spot on! The conditions at Riverside were excellent and the rack rate on a weekend afternoon is only about $42 to ride.
All the turf was full, cut down and sparkled in the sunlight. I’m not sure how the maintenance crew did it, but I didn’t notice one area of winterkill during my round. Needless to say, Riverside survived the winter very well. The fairways were lush and allowed for a nice divot. The greens were smooth and rolled at a medium pace. The bunkers had some rocks, so that was the only area that left something to be desired.
Riverside is a Roger Packard design that lies in a flood plain adjacent to the Trinity River. The river setting is nice, although sadly areas of the course have started to be eroded away. While a river along a DFW course isn’t unique, Riverside stands out some because no homes line the course. The only outside distraction you’ll have is noise from a nearby freeway.
After playing here, I’ll say the name “Riverside” certainly fits well. The Trinity River winds its way around the edge of the course and you get a few holes where the river is in play. I even saw a small bobcat in the riverbed, but wasn’t quick enough with the camera. Besides the river, other low-lying areas form natural water hazards, so much of the course has a wetlands feel to it.
On the front nine the 5th through the 7th is a tricky stretch of holes with the river just off to the left. I played the blue tees (71.2/128/6389) and from there the 5th is only 154 yards. The green sits in a group of trees and gives off a cool Midwest vibe. The 6th is a narrow, difficult par-5 where the river is in play on the drive and the layup. If you pull off those two shots then there is more water short of the green to carry.
The back nine isn’t as cramped as the front and was my favorite of the two nines. The front is narrow with some quirky doglegs while the back has a better flow to it, except for the 15th and 16th holes which have been narrowed by erosion. The back nine has a couple scoring holes and a clever hourglass-shaped double green on the 13th and 18th holes.
There are a lot of good golf holes on the back nine at Riverside. All sorts of options are available off the tees and around the greens. For example, the 10th has a fairway that narrows the closer you get to the green and water cuts in on the right side. I hit a 3-wood out to the left and had a good angle for the approach, but someone could be much more aggressive.
Riverside won’t win any awards for being a top public course, but in its current condition I walked away highly impressed. Overall, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a round here even though the tight layout with all its water doesn’t fit my game. Hopefully though, this should be one of those courses where you’ll score better after multiple rounds.
Course Pictures (click any picture to scroll through the gallery):